


Punishment

by meyari



Series: Hospitality [18]
Category: DCU - Comicverse, Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Bondage, Corporal Punishment, Harems, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-26
Updated: 2011-08-26
Packaged: 2017-10-23 02:32:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/245322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meyari/pseuds/meyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick's punishment finally arrives and he finds himself shaking with fear as they arrive at court.  No matter what happens, he truly does not want to be beaten in front of King Lionel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Punishment

Dick shook as they rode up to the huge gothic building that housed Court when King Lionel was in Gotham. Lord Bruce was with him, gently petting his hair. The others should be moving into place. This wouldn't be bad. He knew it wouldn't be bad. Lord Bruce had never truly hurt him in all the years that Dick had belonged to him. All the way down to his bones, Dick knew that Lord Bruce would not hurt him beyond his ability to bear.

That didn't stop the fear shaking Dick like he was a rat in a terrier's mouth.

Ever since his injury Dick had tried to convince everyone that he wasn't afraid. He shouldn't be afraid. There was no reason for this punishment to be different from any of the other punishments that he'd earned over the years. Frankly, a public beating was a heck of a lot less severe than the week he'd spent getting spanked until his butt and thighs were literally black from the bruises or being shackled and gagged for twelve solid hours a day for days on end the way he'd been that time he'd snuck into the garden when he was thirteen.

He still shook, unreasonably terrified by the thought of going into that court and being beaten in front of King Lionel and his cronies. Dick wanted to believe that he was being silly but everything that they'd learned in the last few days made that a lie. King Lionel was a huge danger. Something inexpressibly evil lived inside that body, looking out at Dick and Clark with hunger in its eyes. For all that King Lionel had always seemed especially interested in Clark, Dick had seen the way he looked at anyone innocent or cheerful. He knew that King Lionel would take him just as willingly as he'd take Clark. In all likelihood, he'd be far less careful with Dick than Clark. Dick didn't have Clark's powers and thus wasn't valuable to him and wouldn't receive a fraction of the care that Clark would have if he were taken away.

'The collar and cuffs will protect me,' Dick told himself as Lord Bruce pulled him up into his lap. 'Princess Diana said they would. Lady Zatanna put protection spells on me. Lord Bruce will be right there. I'll be all right. I will. I know I will.'

Telling himself that he'd be all right didn't make the fear go away. Normally he was able to deal with the discomfort of King Lionel watching him like he was an especially tasty treat but knowing that he had to be beaten, at least a few strokes, before Clark and the Amazons would get there to challenge King Lionel, terrified him. It was as though allowing the beating meant making himself even more vulnerable to whatever lived inside of King Lionel.

"Shh," Lord Bruce crooned, petting Dick's hair. "It will be all right, Dick."

"Shouldn't be so afraid," Dick whispered while clinging to Lord Bruce. "I shouldn't."

"Actually, you should," Lord Bruce chuckled though the chuckle came out strained. "Being terrified is absolutely what we need to distract him."

Dick laughed though the laugh came out more like a hysterical giggle. When the carriage stopped Dick clung to Lord Bruce for a moment, only letting go when Lord Bruce tugged at his shoulders. He was wearing the bondage gear that Tim normally wore, at least the harness and ankle cuffs. The cuffs from Aphrodite were connected by a sturdy chain that wouldn't come free easily, even with Dick's skills as Nightwing. As the driver moved to open the door, Lord Bruce put Dick's gag in, making sure he was comfortable with the bar between his teeth.

"Be strong," Lord Bruce murmured. "This should all be over quickly."

He nodded despite the tears that filled his eyes. Lord Bruce had to help Dick out of the carriage. As they headed into the building, Dick could see the Royal Archers gathering outside along with some of King Lionel's special troops. The archers looked like they wanted to fill Lionel's troops with arrows. Tension sang between the two groups who faced off outside as if they were only waiting for the call to fight.

Inside wasn't much better. Lionel's cronies filled one side of Court, commenting loudly on how they would have dealt with Dick. Many of them laughed at the way his legs shook. Lord Bruce glared at them once and then ignored them entirely. On the other side of Court, Lord Bruce's allies stood. Princess Diana was in her formal armor again, with Steve by her side in his golden armor. Two very tall Amazons stood behind Steve, acting as his bodyguards. Neither Princess Donna nor Cassie were there as they were with the Amazons who would come in soon. Princess Diana and Steve were surrounded by the other good Lords and Ladies, from Lady Selina on through Lord Hal, Lord Katar and his wife Shayera, and even Lord Arthur was there.

"Your Majesty," Lord Bruce said in a voice firm enough to quiet the mumbles and grumbles of both sides, "has any progress been made on finding who attacked my slave?"

"I'm afraid not," King Lionel said. He smirked while caressing his beard thoughtfully. "We have yet to figure out who could have done it. Unfortunate that."

"Yes, quite unfortunate," Lord Bruce growled. He looked as though he suspected that King Lionel was deliberately hiding the perpetrator from justice, which was good for the show as well as for making King Lionel glare at him.

"I take it you've decided that it's time for your boy's punishment," King Lionel said after banishing the annoyance from his face. It still glittered in his eyes, along with a deep sort of evil that made Dick whimper.

Lord Bruce jerked the leash attached to Dick's collar, apparently for the whimper. Dick sobbed and collapsed to his knees, pressing his forehead against the cold marble floor. The surrounding Lords and Ladies on both sides murmured but it was Princess Diana who stepped forward. Despite his fear of what King Lionel might do, Dick didn't look up. They needed time to make sure that all of Princess Diana's warriors could be in place before they made their move.

"The boy has done nothing worthy of punishment!" Princess Diana declared.

"He is Roma," King Lionel said as if the word polluted his tongue. "They are outlawed and forbidden to wander in this country. The mere fact that he lives is an insult to my rule but as he is a slave I have overlooked it. I have always felt that the Roma could not be truly broken to slavery. In my opinion this wandering away incident just shows that the boy is not truly controlled."

"He is mine," Lord Bruce snarled at King Lionel. "Mine to use, mine to control, mine to break as I see fit. He was lured away, and then dragged from my house. It wasn't something that he did willingly. Slaves hardly have the wit to know better when tempted by someone with less than proper intentions."

Dick winced. Hearing himself described that way by Lord Bruce hurt even though he knew that Lord Bruce didn't believe a word of it. It was part of the act, part of how Lord Bruce protected his household from King Lionel and his cronies. To Dick's surprise, Lord Bruce turned to Princess Diana. He raised his head, unable to resist peeking at the confrontation between the two of them.

"Don't interfere in this, Princess," Lord Bruce snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"The boy wandered to catch a glimpse of the one his heart calls to," Princess Diana said, raising her chin and glaring at Lord Bruce. "Our Goddess is a Goddess of Love. I see no reason for him to be punished for following Aphrodite's call."

King Lionel winced at hearing Aphrodite's name, which Dick thought was a little strange. He could just hear some sort of commotion outside but there wasn't any time to point King Lionel's response out or to listen harder because Lord Bruce growled loudly at her.

"Your Goddess is not my god," Lord Bruce declared. "Do not meddle in my affairs, Princess."

They glared at each other as if they'd decided that they were enemies. King Lionel smirked at that and then gestured towards the wall where Dick would be beaten. Dick whimpered again, pressing his forehead against the floor until Lord Bruce grabbed the back of his harness and hauled him to his feet. It wasn't acting that made Dick sob around his gag. The O-rings were too close to King Lionel, too close to his allies. As Lord Bruce dragged Dick over and started to secure his left wrist, Dick cried and begged around his gag. The words came out garbled but that only seemed to please King Lionel more. He was obviously enjoying Dick's fear.

Just at the moment that Lord Bruce secured Dick's wrist the sounds of battle erupted outside of court. Lord Bruce paused, one hand on Dick's wrist and the other hand on his back in a reassuring touch that probably looked controlling on the outside. Dick shivered, listening to the screams and battle cries with wide eyes. They were early, much earlier than Dick expected. Clark had said that Dick should be prepared for at least one blow, maybe more.

"King Lionel!"

The shout was accompanied by Superman flinging the great double doors open with enough force that the top hinges broke, letting the doors hang drunkenly. Superman strode in, followed by more Amazon warriors who grinned at Princess Diana so fiercely that everyone other than Lord Bruce and Dick took a step away from them. King Lionel shifted on his throne and the room seemed to become colder somehow.

"You would make war against me, Princess Diana?" King Lionel asked in a voice gone oily with threat. "Over a slave that isn't even your own?"

"No, I would make war with you because you are a foul monster who does not deserve the throne," Princess Diana replied with a toss of her hair over her shoulder that somehow managed to look threatening rather than dramatic.

"She is not your enemy," Superman said when King Lionel raised a hand to direct his troops to attack. "I am. The Amazons are here at my request. I formally challenge you to your throne, King Lionel Luthor. Either meet me in combat here and now or forfeit your position due to rank cowardice."

A moment of shocked silence descended on the court, shocking everyone from Prince Lex on down to the Amazons waiting behind Superman for their chance to attack. Superman, Clark, was incredibly impressive as he glared at Lionel. Nothing could be seen of his face other than the bright blue of his eyes. His golden helmet obscured everything else. Dick always found it amazing how different Clark looked when he was being Superman than when he was just Clark, Lord Bruce's beloved slave. He looked like a god walking the earth instead of a man, dressed in gold and scarlet armor with a bright blue cape. The shield that Princess Diana had gifted him with had been covered by a wrap of blue leather that had Superman's symbol painted on it.

"I do not accept challenges from those who will not reveal their faces," King Lionel said so scornfully that even his supporters stared at him.

"Neither do you expose your true face," Superman said. He lowered his chin, glaring into King Lionel's eyes as if he was seeing straight through King Lionel. "You are not Lionel Luthor. You wear his form but you are not him. You have stolen his throne, consumed his soul and now try and corrupt our world with your evil. I know your true name, pretender."

"Do you now?" King Lionel all but purred.

His voice sounded strange, darker and deeper. Dick could see his eyes glowing ever so faintly. He grunted to Lord Bruce but Lord Bruce seemed as entranced as everyone else by the confrontation going on in front of them. Superman was the only one who did not react to King Lionel's altered voice and glowing eyes.

"Darkseid," Superman said as he raised one hand and pointed at King Lionel, "I challenge you to combat. One of us will not leave this place alive."

"Quite so," King Lionel said in his altered voice. He stood and glared at Superman. "One of us will not leave this room alive."

He gestured and dark magic erupted from his fingertips, engulfing Superman who staggered backwards and then fell to one knee with the shield held in front of him as though it would protect him. All around Dick, Lords and Ladies were shouting. King Lionel's spell seemed to have broken them all from their places, sending most running for the exits, though many of King Lionel's supporters moved to attack. Combat began as the Amazons attacked those who supported King Lionel and Lord Bruce's allies revealed themselves.

"Superman!" Lord Bruce shouted as Superman sagged further and rested on hand on the floor to keep from collapsing entirely.

He ran out into the battle, leaving Dick with one arm chained over his head and no way to defend himself. Dick shouted at him but the gag muffled his words. Rather than pay attention to that Dick tried to pull his arm free from the chains before someone got the bright idea to attack him while he was restrained and helpless.


End file.
